| Five Government Web Sites on the Right Track |
| 1) FedStats http://www.fedstats.gov — The Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy maintains this site of statistics collected by over 70 federal agencies. The site’s information resources are vast and easy-to-use. It provides a model for inter-agency collaboration and for placing dense technical data online in a format that promotes meaningful access and use by the public. |
| 2) Thomas http://thomas.loc.gov — Arguably the most famous of all federal government Web sites, Thomas allows individuals to search and browse through a wealth of information about congressional activity, including pending bills, enacted laws, the Congressional Record, Committee reports, and other materials. While many daily users wish it were more quickly updated, and while it does not include Committee votes, amendments and other useful material, it is a reliable and highly-used source of information. |
| 3) NASA http://www.nasa.gov — At last check, NASA was the busiest government Web site, with good reason — the site is innovative and well-designed, containing engaging and educational resources. |
| 4) The Circuit and District Courts with free opinions http://www.uscourts.gov — While many courts complain that making opinions available online is too difficult and expensive, a select few have proved them wrong by creating excellent Web sites. For example, the Fifth, Seventh, Eleventh, DC, and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals all have reliable Web sites. A smaller percentage of District (trial level) courts, including the Southern District of Indiana and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, have sites that allow visitors to use various search tools to locate information. |
| 5) GPO Access http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/ — When we weren’t sure if particular information was online, this was the first place that we looked. GPO Access provides a central point for access to information from all branches of government and has committed to provide permanent public access to the information on its servers. In addition to providing a valuable resource of government information on the Web, GPO continues to prod other agencies to place their information online. GPO Access may be the best kept secret on the Web — the Government should do more to inform the public that it exists. |